1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to gait belts that are used in the medical field for supporting and moving patients. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shirrable protective cover that may be applied to a gait belt.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Generally, in medical settings, gait belts are used repeatedly on large numbers of patients. The universal precautions promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration direct the use of barriers to prevent pathogen transmission between individuals. The repeated use of an uncovered gait belt in transporting patients can provide a route for pathogen transmission between patients. It, therefore, is necessary to use a gait belt cover that prevents direct contact between the belt and the patient.
Repeated use of a gait belt during the course of a day on multiple patients necessitates use of a belt cover that is both effective at preventing pathogen transmission and simple to use. Currently, gait belts are sometimes laundered between uses, instead of covered during use. This method for preventing pathogen transmission is time consuming and unreliable, unless performed diligently. Thus, a need exists for an effective, efficient alternative.
Furthermore, an effective, efficient belt cover would be useful in other settings where hygiene matters. Such a belt cover would facilitate good hygiene practice in industrial situations where back support belts are shared by personnel or where contamination of a belt, due to environmental conditions, is probable. Also, such a belt cover would benefit fitness facilities and other entities that lend support belts to their patrons. All of these situations potentially provide pathogen transmission routes via belt use. Such a belt cover would provide a simple to use barrier to such potential transmission.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gait belt cover that is both effective in preventing pathogen transmission and easy to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gait belt cover that can be shirred during or after production, maintained in a shirred state, and then applied to a gait belt in a shirred state, thereby facilitating its application to the belt.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gait belt cover that forms a barrier around the entire belt, including the buckle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shirrable belt cover that may be used in a variety of settings where possible pathogen transmission can occur due to the conditions under which safety belts are worn.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shirrable belt cover that does not require any sort of applicator device to apply the cover to a belt.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shirrable belt cover that is disposable after one use.
More particularly, the present invention provides a gait belt cover including: a front panel having upper and lower edges, a back panel having upper and lower edges of equal dimensions as those edges on the front panel, and a flap extending longitudinally beyond the upper and lower edges of the back panel. The front and back panels may be rectangular or similar in shape so as to accommodate a belt. A top seam and a bottom seam are formed in a cover by joining the top edges of the front and back panels and the bottom edges of the panels. One or more threads are housed longitudinally within the top and bottom seams, and extend beyond these seams, so that the thread may be drawn out of the seam, thereby shirring the cover. A sleeve is formed by the joining of the panel members at said top seam and said bottom seam with openings at both ends wherein a belt may be inserted.
Preferably, the front and back panels and threads are composed of a shirrable, flexible, substantially impervious material such as a shirrable plastic or synthetic fiber, for example polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, cotton, rayon or other similar plastic or synthetic or natural fiber, or combinations thereof. Those materials of construction selected maybe chosen from among materials that have been chemically treated to impart a fire retardant finish. Such finishes may consist of organic halides or similar compounds that are introduced into the fabric prior to the fabrication of the cover. The front and back panels may be cut from one of the materials listed above that may or may not have been chemically treated in the aforementioned manner. The panels may be secured one to another by heat sealing, sewing or another appropriate method known in the art that provides a substantially impervious seam where the panels are joined and thereby forming a sleeve. The threads that are housed within the seams may be inserted during heat treatment or sewing, or after these steps.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the thread or threads may be tied off after shirring to maintain the cover in a shirred state. The threads may then be broken to unshirr the cover when needed. In this embodiment, the threads would be of a gauge that could easily be broken by the user during application.
In another embodiment, the thread or threads can be used to shirr the cover and then wrapped around it to maintain it in a bundle. During application of the cover, the user could then unwrap the threads from around the cover to unshirr it. In this embodiment, the thread gauge could be greater than that used in the embodiment listed above, where the thread is broken prior to unshirring the cover.
In another embodiment, the belt cover may comprise one panel that is folded once and has one seam formed by the joining of two edges of the panel. Once the belt is shirred, it may be maintained in a bundle by looping at least two threads, bands, clips, other similar restraining devices or combinations thereof, through the two side openings and around the cover sleeve. These restraining devices may then be knotted, tied or otherwise secured so as to maintain the cover in a shirred state. One of these restraining devices may be disposed within the seam during manufacture, in the same manner as for the embodiment having two seams. The panel may be made from the same materials previously listed.
The belt cover may be shirred into a bundle during or after production and maintained in that state. The restraining device by which the belt cover is maintained in the shirred bundle may be one or more threads, clips, plastic ties, or similar fasteners, or combinations thereof. The bundled cover may then be easily stored or transported for use when and where needed. A gait belt may be inserted into the shirred cover, which may then be unshirred and extended over the gait belt. The cover will thereby form a complete barrier between the gait belt and the wearer. The gait belt in combination with the cover may then be used to support a person without concern for cross-contamination of the belt or the person. After use, the cover can be discarded.
The belt cover may also be used in conjunction with support belts that are designed to support the lower back and abdominal region of the wearer. Such a belt may be inserted into the cover, which is then unshirred so as to cover all of the belt. In this manner, the cover may form a complete barrier between the belt and the wearer.
It is to be understood that the descriptions of the examples of the present invention are not by way of limitation. Various modifications within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth hereinafter.